Dairy Calf Nutrition (Stranraer) Event Summary

The two main take home messages of the meeting were; the 5 Q’s of colostrum management –

Quality – good colostrum should contain 50g of IgG/litre – test using a refractrometer

Quantity – 150g of IgG in the first feed – quantity depend on quality – 10% of bodyweight is a good guide

Quickly – Remove the calf from the mother as soon as possible to minimise the risk of disease & feed colostrum as soon as possible.  Colostrum absorption reduces by 50% after 12hrs and 90% by 24hrs

sQueaky Clean – store in a fridge – bacteria numbers double every 20mins colostrum is left at room temp.  Do not feed colostrum that has feaces, blood or dirt in it.

Quantify – check the success of your colostrum protocols by asking your vet to blood test  a batch of calves to see if they getting sufficient quantities of quality colostrum

And

Observation – spend time with your calves, look for changes in behaviour – droppy ears, laboured breathing, lying away from the group can all be early signs that something is wrong.  Use a thermometer to check these calve and treat quickly